- Home
- Photo Tours
- Mainstream
- Carnival Breeze – Exotic Eastern Caribbean
- Carnival Freedom – Western Caribbean
- Carnival Miracle – Mexican Riviera
- Carnival Paradise – Cuba
- Carnival Pride – Bahamas from Baltimore
- Coral Princess – Ultimate Alaska with Cruise Experts Travel
- Cuba Cruise Louis Cristal – Cuba
- MSC Divina – Eastern Caribbean
- Norwegian Breakaway – Christening
- Norwegian Epic – Eastern Caribbean
- Norwegian Pearl – Alaska RT Seattle
- Quantum of the Seas – Preview Cruise
- Zuiderdam – Alaska Inside Passage
- Expedition
- Hurtigruten FRAM – Antarctica
- Hurtigruten Midnatsol – North Cape
- Passing Cloud – BC’s Gulf Islands
- Passing Cloud – Haida Gwaii
- S.S. Legacy – Columbia & Snake Rivers
- Safari Endeavour – Alaska’s Glacier Country
- Safari Voyager – Mexico’s Sea of Cortes
- Schooner Zodiac – Brew Cruise 2013
- Schooner Zodiac – Wine Cruise
- Silver Discoverer – Australia to Indonesia
- Silver Explorer – Arctic Svalbard
- Silver Explorer – British Isles
- Silver Galapagos – Galapagos Islands
- Wind Spirit – Stockholm to Oslo
- Wind Star – Rome to Nice
- Luxury
- EUROPA 2 – Greece & Turkey
- Queen Mary 2 – Eastbound Transatlantic 2012
- Queen Mary 2 – Westbound Transatlantic 2015
- Seabourn Sojourn – Ultimate Alaskan Sojourn
- Silver Shadow – Exotic Alaska
- Silver Shadow – Southeast Asia & Myanmar
- Silver Spirit – Athens to Barcelona
- Silver Spirit- Eastbound Transatlantic
- Silver Wind – Mediterranean
- Silver Wind – Middle East
- Silver Wind – South Africa
- River
- AmaLotus – Cambodia & Vietnam
- AmaLyra- Danube Christmas Markets
- American Empress on the Columbia
- Avalon Expression – Amsterdam to Nuremberg
- Emerald Waterways Emerald Star – Danube Delights
- G Adventures – India’s Ganges
- S.S. Maria Theresa – Christening
- Tauck ms Inspire – Maiden Voyage
- Tauck Swiss Jewel – Blue Danube
- Viking Baldur – Danube Christmas
- Viking Baldur – Rhine Christmas
- Viking Forseti – Chateaux, Rivers & Wine
- Viking Freya – Danube Christmas
- Viking Longships Christening 2012
- Viking Longships Christening 2013
- Viking Longships Christening 2014
- Viking Longships Christening 2015
- Viking Vidar – Grand European Tour
- Hotels
- Upcoming & Past Cruises
- About FTDC
Emerald Waterways Live Voyage Report – Day 5
Durnstein, Melk and Austria’s Wachau Valley

Emerald Waterways’ sleek Emerald Star docked in Durnstein, Austria on the morning of July 16, 2014. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
Our Danube Delights itinerary aboard Emerald Waterways’ Emerald Star went into Austrian overdrive today as we called on two very small but beautiful towns nestled within the country’s picturesque Wachau Valley.
At 0800, we arrived in Durnstein, a picturesque little village located at Kilometre 2000 of the Danube that is notable for its blue-and-white cathedral and the medieval ruins of Kuenringerburg Fortress that dates back to the 12th Century. Kuenringerburg is rather interesting: it was almost entirely destroyed in 1645 by – of all people – the Swedes, who razed it during the Thirty Years’ War, toasted Skål, and caught the next minstrel-carriage back to Stockholm. Today, you can still hike up to the ruins of the fortress, which held Richard the Lionheart in 1193. Being imprisoned in wine country must have been terrible…

The view of Durnstein from my Panorama Balcony Suite aboard Emerald Star. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
Emerald Waterways provides a guided walking tour of Durnstein, which I do recommend taking even though the village itself is quite small and home to just 950 year-round residents. You can walk it yourself, to be sure –but then you’d miss out on the fascinating history of the town.

Richard the Lionheart spent some time in Durnstein as an unwilling tourist, imprisoned in the fortress in the upper left. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders

Durnstein’s medieval history is on display to this day – and also in souvenir form. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders

Guests from onboard Emerald Star walk up to the town of Durnstein. Last year, the Danube flooded to extraordinary heights, rising to almost where this photo was taken. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
Because I’ve been here before, I went half-and-half on the tour, sticking with our guide for the first 30 minutes and then peeling off when I saw one of my favorite stores open: Wieser. The Wachau Valley, where Durnstein is located, is noted not only for its fabulous wines, but also for what I like to call “apricot everything.” You can buy apricot schnapps, apricot liqueur, apricot-infused gin – even jars of apricot liqueur-infused gummies. For €12, I picked myself up some fantastic apricot liqueur that I plan to enjoy when I return home.

The pretty Stift Durnstein can be visited and explored for just three Euros. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
I also visited Stift Durnstein (Durnstein Cathedral) for the first time. All you have to do is pay a simple entry fee of €3, which is more than worth it to see the Baroque-style cathedral that was constructed between 1715 and 1733. If you follow the sign labelled “Kirche”, you will be taken to the church. Choosing the opposite direction takes you to a balustrade-lined observation deck in the shadow of the blue-and-white Clock Tower that overlooks the Danube.

Standing on the outer balcony of Durnstein’s most famous landmark: the blue-and-white Stift Durnstein. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
Our Live Voyage Report onboard Emerald Waterways Emerald Star continues tomorrow as we sail the Danube and arrive in our first port of call in Germany – Passau! Be sure to follow along on twitter by following @deckchairblog or the hashtag #LiveVoyageReport.
Contact Us
Sailing Schedule
Twitter
Article Search
Article Categories
Archives
- July 2019
- June 2019
- April 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009